no go on friend's rear brakes
 

We took them apart, and I have the tool to compress the piston, but the piston would not budge. Do we need to open up the bleeder? If so, would a $7 Lisle kit do the trick, which is basically a fitting, tube, and a cup that you fill with fluid? I don't remember having to bleed with mine, but his pads are much thinner than mine were, ie pistons out further. Thing is, I don't think the caliper is cooked. When we put everything back, the old pads were a bit loose and jiggled. A pull on the parking brake and they were tight. That tells me the caliper is working.

I guess what I'm driving at is should we bleed the caliper and is a cheap kit gonna do it? I don't want to get into bleeding the entire system! Thanks. :)

It's not the bleeder that's causing the problem. It's a seized piston. If it's really bad, you'll need to rebuild or replace it.

On this one I30 I worked on, the rear calipers were so seized, I had to attach the caliper tool to the my Snap-On impact gun to break it free, and to spin it back. And after that bad of a seize, it's highly recommended to rebuild the caliper or replace it.

never mind ....I was telling you about thetool you have:) I should read slower 2nd sin

So you should be able to turn them in with a brake caliper tool, and undo the brake reservoir cap, right? What would happen if we released the fluid, you think it's not going to budge at all???? It's just weird that it definitely clamped down when the parking brake was pulled, because as I said the pad was now snug, whereas it was loose when we first reassembled. So imho the caliper still works, with the thin pads. Thx.

When pushing pistons in, you should only ever release the fluid reservoir cap, not open up the bleeder.

What you are describing is making it VERY clear. The caliper is messed up. You'll need to be pretty rough with it just to get it to function with the thicker pads. And even then, you'll need to rebuild or replace the calipers. Rebuilds are pretty easy, they come as kits, and cost about $30. The only tough part is knowing how to do it properly, which sadly, though easy, is rarely done properly.

opening the bleeder will not release the preasure on the piston.... it's not hydrolic pressure holding it in place.... the piston has a screw in it that adjust the pads and works as the parking brake

I hear you. I have the correct tool that twists the piston, so we are able to put considerable force on it. Think about it, we're using a 7/8 wrench to turn the brake tool! Only thing is it's hard to handle because the brake hose is only so long. The rear caliper can be had for $79, which isn't the end of the world, but I'm just not sure if we can get into properly bleeding the system after reinstalling. Those dang shims disintegrated he's had those things so long as OEM. It is amazing how quickly the Maxima calipers can come off, just 3 bolts @ 14mm in the rear. Less than 2 min.

The best way to get your piston to move back is to remove the caliper abd rotor the bolt the caliper back on without the rotor that way you should be able to apply alot of pressure to turn the piston back in without someone trying to hold it while your turn. mine was doing the same thing. I will have to do a rebuild or get aftermarket big brakes :-).

I agree, when it's THAT seized, it's REALLY hard to apply enough force to break it loose, and even to just spin it more when you do break it loose. Which is why I secured the caliper as best I could, then used an impact gun with the caliper tool.

I think that you must first ask yourself, "should I be taking mechanical/techinical advice from people that have such a lack of understanding of english and grammar?"

lol @ bananamax

I will assume you are talking about the rear caliper as you do not have to use a 'special' tool for the front.

First off, either you have no clue what you are doing, or everyone is right in suggesting you have a frozen piston.

There is no reason to bleed your brakes untill you get the new caliper on. Yes you do need a new caliper or you will risk uneven pad wear, warped rotor, and locked brakes.

You do not need a kit to bleed your brakes with two people present.
**(Before you do something real stupid make sure you have the caliper on the rotor so you do not pop the piston out!!!)**
Make sure the piston is solid on the pad, which is on the rotor, before you begin.
Start from the furthest caliper (line legnth wise) from the brake master cylinder.
Open the bleed valve and have your friend push on the brake peddle.
When the peddle is to the floor, AND HELD THERE, close the valve.
Pull the brake peddle back up and repeat the process.

Rebuild the caliper yourself or buy a used one. You can check for propper function from a junkyard so it wont be a waste of moeny.

Just a side comment, I have always used channel lock pliers (pipe wrench pliers, tongue and groove, arch joint etc) and if I am in a hurry, a C clamp. ::shrugs::

Be safe and God bless

dan

Actually, it turned out that we weren't doing it right. Using the tool is a two-step process. First, you spread it out by turning the nut. A 7/8 wrench would be needed to get it really tight, but actually, it wasn't necessary. Next, you grab the handle on the tool and turn it--that's the step that rotates the piston. Once we did that, the piston went in like butter, no joke. Since it was only the 2nd time that I used the tool, I forgot about that. I was thinking that just turning the nut with the wrench was accomplishing the rotation, which it wasn't.

So I guess my final point is that the piston does go in very easily when it's rotated--so anyone else out there, make sure you're doing the rotation before you assume you have a seized caliper. Also, be sure to have the notches positioned at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock. If you don't, the groove wont line-up with the knub on the backing of the pad. I think if you have the piston in just enough you wont be able to get it on if the notches don't line up, so that's one clue. However, if you push the piston in really far, I think it's possible to install it without having it lined up properly.

Thanks for the replies fellas! :thumbsup:

glad to see you got that resolved